Keeping Your Home Safe During an Open House

April 19, 2017

When it comes to your home, one of your top priorities is safety. You do not let people simply come and go as they please, whether you are home or not. Right? But, when you open your house for potential buyers, you often cannot help but let the masses come in. Especially during open houses. Open houses may sound innocent but it can be an opportunity for visitors to steal or break your possessions.

So, how do you keep your home safe during an open house?

Safeguard your valuable items in a safe place inside your bedroom. Keep your jewelry, money, cards and other money-bearing items locked in a safe inside your cabinet. Make sure your Realtor has a method for checking in on visitors when they are in the house to keep an eye on them, especially in your bedroom.

Clean your house. Aside from helping with the overall aesthetic of selling your home. The more unorganized your house is, the more it is difficult for you to notice if something is missing. Clear off the clutter especially in places your visitorsmay linger.

If you are selling your home yourself, ask someone to be with your during your open house. They can help you accommodate the traffic and keep an eye on visitors.

Lock cabinets. If there are important things in the cabinet, lock it to ensure that nobody can snoop around inside! People don’t need to go through every single cabinet in your home to see what the cabinetry looks like.

Know who it is that enters your property. It is your right to know who you are opening your home to with potential buyers. Ask them to sign in with name and contact information. Additionally, feel free to ask them questions such as where they live now, how many are they in the family. This will help you get to know people that are already inside your home.

Keep dangerousobjects out of sight. This includes knives, firearms and other harmful objects that could put you or your family at risk. A little prudence can go a long way with these kinds of things.

Avoid telling too much about your personal life. While it’s important to be open about your home, it is okay to be a little cautious with trusting people too easily. If their questions begin to skirt on topics that you wish to not answer (your children, financial information, etc.), you may choose not to answer them. While it is rare, there are those who will case a house from an Open House – it’s best to leave personal information and valuables out of sight and out of mind.